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Chickin
=''Chicken Run''= From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, searchThis article is about the film. For the game based on the film, see Chicken Run (video game). Chicken Run is a 2000 British stop-motion animation film made by the Aardman Animations studios, the production studio of the Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit films. Set in Yorkshire, England in 1961,[citation needed] the film centres around a band of chickens, who seek a smooth-talking Rhode Island Red named Rocky as their only hope to escape from their certain death when the owners of their farm decide to move from selling eggs to selling chicken pies. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chicken_Run&action=edit&section=1 edit Plot The Tweedys are a grumpy middle-aged couple who run a chicken farm in Yorkshire, England. The coop is run in the style of a World War II prisoner of war camp, with the chickens accountable for the number of eggs they lay each day or else face being on the chopping block. One chicken, Ginger, has attempted numerous plans to flee the coop, aided by contraband smuggled into the coop by two rats, Nick and Fetcher, but she is always caught by Mr. Tweedy and his dogs, and placed into solitary confinement. Mrs. Tweedy realises her farm is failing and reads a catalogue on products to increase the profits. Ginger tries to convince the other hens to speed up their efforts to escape, but soon comes to conclude the only escape route is to go over the fence, something chickens cannot do. Soon, a Rhode Island Red rooster appears to fly over the fence and crash into the coop. The hens fawn over the new arrival, Rocky, and keep him hidden from the Tweedys. Ginger finds part of a poster Rocky dropped, claiming that he can fly. She tries to convince Rocky to help them escape by teaching them how to fly, but Rocky's wing was injured and cannot show them immediately. Instead, he puts them through a set of exercises that seem to have no purpose while assuring the chickens they are making progress. Soon, the Tweedys have machinery delivered and begin assembling it. At the same time, Mrs. Tweedy orders food rations doubled- intending to fatten the chickens up. Ginger is the only one to take serious note of this. Soon, what is revealed to be a pie machine is completed, and Mr. Tweedy grabs Ginger for its first test. Rocky rescues Ginger, and they manage to jam the machine, giving them a more time to work out their escape. Fowler, an older rooster, gives Rocky his respect for saving Ginger, giving him his old RAF badge in tribute. Rocky decides to flee the farm the next day. Ginger finds Fowler's medal and the second part of the poster, showing that Rocky was a stunt rooster, "flying" by being shot out of a cannon. This revelation shocks the chickens, and a fight soon breaks out as morale falls. When Fowler arrives to restore order and begins talking of his days in the Royal Air Force, Ginger realises they can build a plane from Fowler's pictures and personal recollections. The chickens race against time to assemble the aircraft while Mr. Tweedy works to repair the pie machine. The chickens finish their machine just as Mr. Tweedy completes repairs and enters the coop to grab the chickens. Led by Ginger, the chickens launch an open revolt, tying up and gagging Mr. Tweedy and readying the "crate". As they prepare for take off Mr. Tweedy breaks himself loose and knocks down the ramp. Ginger jumps down while Fowler turns the plane around, knocking Mr. Tweedy unconscious. As Ginger struggles to lift the ramp, Mrs. Tweedy arrives with an axe. Rocky, having had a change of heart, flies in over the fence and hits Mrs. Tweedy. Ginger and Rocky grab onto a string of lights caught on the plane's landing gear- Mrs. Tweedy soon wakes up and now in a burst of primal rage grabs onto the lights too, weighing down the crate. Ginger heads down the string to cut it, but after losing the pair of scissors, tricks Mrs. Tweedy into using the hatchet to severe the string. Mrs. Tweedy ends up crashing into the pie machine, plugging up a the safety valve and causing it to explode, destroying the barn. The chickens cheer and continue flying to safety as Mr. Tweedy, who reminds his wife, "I told you they was organized." The film concludes with the chickens having found an idyllic setting in a bird sanctuary where they can live in comfort and raise their new chicks, while Ginger and Rocky fall into a romantic relationship. Meanwhile, Nick and Fetcher discuss starting their own chicken farm so they can have all the eggs they could eat, but then end up arguing over whether the chicken or the egg came first. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chicken_Run&action=edit&section=2 edit Cast and characters *Julia Sawalha as Ginger, the ringleader who is determined to save her fellow chickens from their impending doom on the Tweedys' farm. *Mel Gibson as Rocky, a rooster who crash-lands into the farm's chicken coop after fleeing from a circus. Believing he can fly, Ginger asks for his assistance in helping her cohorts escape. *Miranda Richardson as Melisha Tweedy, a cantankerous egg farmer who decides to convert her farm into a chicken pie factory solely for monetary reasons. *Benjamin Whitrow as Fowler, an elderly rooster who regularly prattles about his Royal Air Force experiences. *Timothy Spall as Nick, a portly rat who, along with his partner, Fetcher, aids the chickens in their quest to freedom, in exchange for eggs. He is the brains of their operation. *Phil Daniels as Fetcher, Nick's slow-witted partner. *Jane Horrocks as Babs, the fattest of the chickens with a dim-witted innocence and a love of knitting. *Imelda Staunton as Bunty, the group cynic who is the most skeptical of Ginger's escape plans. *Lynn Ferguson as Mac, Ginger's brainy Scottish assistant and chief engineer. *Tony Haygarth as Willard Tweedy, Melisha's henpecked husband. He regularly tries to convince Mrs. Tweedy that the chickens are secretly organized, but to no avail. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chicken_Run&action=edit&section=3 edit Production Chicken Run was to be Aardman Animations' first feature length production, which would be executive produced by Jake Eberts. Nick Park and Peter Lord, who run Aardman, co-directed the film,[1] while Margaret French and Jack Rosenthal scripted the film. In December 1997, it was noted that David Sproxton was to also produce. DreamWorks secured their first animated feature with the film, and they handled distribution in all territories except Europe, which Pathé handled. The two studios both co-financed the film. DreamWorks also retains rights to international merchandising. Pathé and Aardman had both been developing the film since 1996, whilst DreamWorks officially came aboard in 1999. DreamWorks beat out studios like Universal Studios and Warner Bros. and largely won due to the perseverance of DreamWorks co-chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg, who as a company were eager to make their presence felt in the animation market in an attempt to compete with Disney's dominance of the field.[2] Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell, composers in the artist pool of Media Ventures, were in talks to compose the film since January 1999.[3] In January 2000, the release was revealed to be for 23 June 2000.[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chicken_Run&action=edit&section=4 edit Reception The film has received critical acclaim from critics upon its release and currently garners a 96% "Certified Fresh" rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 140 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10 and the critical consensus: "Chicken Run has all the charm of Nick Park's Wallace & Gromit, and something for everybody. The voice acting is fabulous, the slapstick is brilliant, and the action sequences are spectacular."[5] The film also holds a score of 88 based on 34 reviews on Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim."[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chicken_Run&action=edit&section=5 edit Awards and nominations http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chicken_Run&action=edit&section=6 edit Box office On opening weekend, the film grossed $17,506,162 for a $7,027 average from 2,491 theatres. Overall, the film placed second behind Me, Myself and Irene. In its second weekend, the film held well as it slipped only 25% to $13,192,897 for a $4,627 average from expanding to 2,851 theaters and finishing in fourth place. The film's widest release was 2,953 theaters and it closed on November 2, 2000, after grossing $106,834,564 domestically with an additional $118,000,000 overseas for a worldwide total of $224,834,564. Produced on a $45 million budget, the film was a huge box office hit. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chicken_Run&action=edit&section=7 edit Marketing Reel.com received exclusive right to hosting the official site for the film and designing, for which Canned Entertainment were chosen.[7] http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chicken_Run&action=edit&section=8 edit Video game Main article: Chicken Run (video game)Chicken Run is a stealth-based 3-D platformer based on the movie. The game is a loose parody of the film The Great Escape, which is set during World War II. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chicken_Run&action=edit&section=9 edit See also *Nick Park *Aardman Animations *Wallace and Gromit *List of animated feature-length films *List of stop-motion films *Colditz Cock, a glider built by British prisoners of war for an escape attempt during World War II http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chicken_Run&action=edit&section=10 edit References #'^' Rex Weiner (10 April 1997). "Aardman on 'Run'". Variety. http://www.variety.com/vstory/VR1117435154.html. Retrieved 2010-02-18. #'^' Dan Cox (4 December 1997). "D'Works' feat of clay". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1116678798.html. Retrieved 2010-02-18. #'^' Robert Koehler (21 January 1999). "Zimmer's Ventures in music is a factory in the (tune) making". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117490444.html. Retrieved 2010-02-18. #'^' Christian Moerk (21 January 2000). "Showbiz was schiz in 1999". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117760429.html. Retrieved 2010-02-18. #'^' "Chicken Run Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/chicken_run/. Retrieved 2011-02-07. #'^' "Chicken Run Movie Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/movie/chicken-run. Retrieved 2011-02-07. #'^' Marc Graser (3 April 2000). "D'Works hands Reel 'Chicken'". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117780113.html. Retrieved 2010-02-18. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chicken_Run&action=edit&section=11 edit External links *Official website *[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120630/ Chicken Run] at the Internet Movie Database *''Chicken Run'' at the Big Cartoon DataBase